Cooking tips wanted please?

Question

I have heard that some restaurants add the tiniest dash of salt to a large coffee filter while it is brewing? This is supposed to make the coffee taste better? Is that true? I have put rice or popcorn kernels in our salt shaker to stop the salt from clumping. I have heard that restaurants put soda crackers in the sugar bags to stop the clumping? Is that true?

My carob powder keeps getting clumps in it from our humid summer. I did not notice this in the winter. Do you have any storage tips? Should it be in the freezer or fridge? Would any of my above tips work for this powder substance??? Does anybody know? Please help me. Thank you!

Answer 1

My mom used to put salt in the coffee grounds, but I never tasted any difference.  You can put rice in your carob powder as well.

Answer 2

I know of people who add salt to the coffee in the filter.  I have asked and no one seems to know why.

The rice in the salt is more for breaking up any clumps that may form.  If the rice absorbed the moisture the rice grains would swell.  I have never seen swollen rice grains in the salt shaker.

Your carob powder, I would keep that in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator or the freezer.  The freezer will dry out items.  If your freezer is a self defrosting one as most now are, it will "suck" moisture out of the freezer space to prevent ice build up.  So things dry out, freezer burn is the result.  

Answer 3

I've worked for 5 years in restaurants. Never seen it. But, I've seen friends doing it at home.

About the sugar, I know that a slice of bread is used, specially for brown sugar.

Store carob powder in a cool, dry place for up to 12 months.

Answer 4

I am sorry I don't have formal kitchen experience but my husband does. He says that if you put yellow mustard on your fresh burn it will heal faster. As far as your carob powder, put it in the fridge in a ziploc storage container that has no moisture in it. good luck

Answer 5

A few drops of vinegar in the water when you're hard-boiling eggs will keep any white from seeping out of any cracks .....Refrigerating your onions and slicing them cold will help keep your eyes from watering  ... a slice of apple in brown sugar will keep it soft (but you can microwave hardened brown sugar for about 8 sec. to soften it) ...  Used coffee grinds are excellent fertilizers for acid-loving plants (azaleas, hydrangeas, gardenias, camellias) ......  I've heard that hanging a mesh bag of ordinary white chalk in your pantry will help with the humidity during the summer